Hedgelaying and Dead Wood.

Hedgelaying is the art of making a living fence out of a row of shrubs by bending them over after cutting through them. Sometimes you have to reinforce the live material with dead wood to improve stockproofness. How much you need to do that can depend on how skilled you are. So when competitions are judged, it is important to consider if too much dead wood was used. There are a number of styles of hedgelaying, some accept dead wood some don't. This can make comparing those styles difficult at a competition where dead wood is discouraged but not forbidden. I'm glad I don't have to decide on that, there's usually some mutttering.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Hedglaying
• Country Crafts

[damonpeacock]

It's more complicated than that. Some styles don't allow dead wood, others do. In the National Competition the use of dead wood is 'restricted. That competition takes place in October, while some leaves are still on the hedge, dead wood keeps its leaves, they shrivel and turn brown. So anyone looking at the hedge shortly after the competition will wonder why some of the winning hedges contain dead wood.

[shihtalker]

wtfffffffff

[taz22tod]

the layers putting dead wood into a competition hedge are doing it to excess because they are getting away with it. the judges let them. lets get sensible and allow only dead wood to cover gaps where no living stem is present, or it is not possible to pleach a stem to fill the gap. the skill is in making a living piece go where it needs to be , is the future going to be building hedges from piles of brash.we need to act now as others will copy to try and get placed as the dead wooders do